Trump rally scheduled June 15 at Capitol, but former president not expected

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump gestures to supporters after speaking at a Get Out The Vote rally at Winthrop University on Feb. 23, 2024, in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A Trump rally is planned for the North Dakota Capitol, but the former president is not expected, an organizer says. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A rally in support of former President Donald Trump is scheduled to take place on the North Dakota Capitol steps on June 15.

Organizer Kevin Hunter said Trump is not likely to attend, but that the former president’s campaign staff have indicated they may send a surrogate.

The rally is also in support of candidate for governor Michael Coachman and his running mate, Lydia Gessele. The pair are running as independents.

Speakers scheduled to appear include:

• Coachman and Gessele

• Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center

• Jerol Gohrick, president of North Dakota Sons of Liberty

• Charles Tuttle, who has sought both state and congressional offices as an independent

“We also got a contact from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and from Sen. Tim Scott, both of whom may come and speak on Trump’s behalf,” Hunter said.

The rally will last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., he said. According to a form submitted to the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget, organizers anticipate a crowd of approximately 2,500 people.

Hunter said hasn’t heard anything about whether Gov. Doug Burgum — believed to be a contender for vice president or a Cabinet position if Trump is reelected — will attend.

“I guess it’s always possible that he could if he contacted me and asked for that opportunity,” Hunter said of Burgum.

Hunter, a resident of Williston, is an auto sales consultant. His YouTube channel, The Homework Guy, has over 430,000 subscribers.

The rally is scheduled for the same day as Capital Pride’s vendor show, which was slated to take place in a parking lot at the Capitol. Hunter said that wasn’t intentional — the organizers just wanted the rally to take place after the June 11 primary since Coachman and Gessele are running as independents.

“We thought doing it as soon as possible after the primary was a good idea,” he said.

A post on Dakota OutRight’s Facebook page, the Bismarck nonprofit that organizes Capital Pride, indicates it is planning to move the vendor show amid concerned about logistical difficulties related to both events overlapping on the Capitol grounds.

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